Bad Fiction

by Rebecca Sarah Ley

A stylish, seductive new novel from Rebecca Sarah Ley, winner of a Betty Trask Prize and the Guardian's Not the Booker Prize Sofie Muller can make you into a better writer.

That's why Alice and Walt are desperate to be in her creative writing class. She can spot talent and apply pressure, hone you – if you’re good enough, if you want it enough – into something more elegant, original, daring.

Alice wants it. She wants Sofie's hand guiding hers to greatness, then the book deal, then the prizes and the plaudits.

Still, there is gossip. Sofie will kill your darlings. Sofie will drive you too hard. Sofie’s boundary-pushing is not just professional, it is personal. By the time Alice realises the rumours may be true, is it too late to wriggle free? And if not, is it worth it to get what she always dreamed of?

BAD FICTION is a timely, brilliant novel about fame and mentorship, betrayal and submission, from one of Britain’s brightest young writers.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction

230 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 26, 2026

About the author

Rebecca Sarah Ley writes essays and fiction. Her first novel, Sweet Fruit, Sour Land (published under the name Rebecca Ley) won a Betty Trask Award and the Guardian's Not the Booker Prize. Her essays have been published in Water Journal and shortlisted for the Fitzcarraldo Essay Prize. Rebecca lives in North East London.

Reviews

[Meike · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author's first novel, Sweet Fruit, Sour Land, won The Guardian's "Not the Booker Prize", and let's put it like that: This certainly won't win the Booker either. The book is a mixture of campus novel and critique of the publishing industry: Narrator Alice joins a creative writing class in Norwich overseen by Sofie Muller, an eccentric and infamous author who has the cache to foster literary careers. Sofie's teaching methods border on emotional abuse, and it comes as no surprise when this woman who clearly enjoys holding power over others is accused of inappropriate relationships with students of different genders as well as plagiarism- will Alice, the influential teacher's new pet, believe the rumors and the online posts, especially as her relationship with Sofie can make or break her career? Meanwhile, Alice's friend Walt gets in the line of fire, and Sofie's ex-wife Jocasta (for the love of the Gods, couldn't she leave Oedipus Rex out of this?) plays a mysterious role.

Now weird girl fiction and villainous women are certainly on trend, but they become intriguing through complexity and palpable messiness, which is exactly what Sofie is lacking: She is a less than smart, megalomaniac mean girl, which does not automatically render her a criminal, but it certainly makes her a stock character. My second major issue is the pacing, because this could have been a novella: College student is torn between using an important contact for her career and being loyal to a friend, manipulative college prof could be a female abuser - that's it, that's the plot, and that would be okay and enough if it didn't mercilessly meander page after page in sobering prose. Me and my dog fell asleep twice listening to the audio book.

I generally have a great appreciation for authors incorporating the digital world into their novels, but while including some (fictional, of course) Reddit AITA passages is a nice twist, it still doesn't develop the level of aesthetic sophistication of, let's say, The Sluts and Amygdalatropolis, which showcase what message boards can do in literary contexts. There are also several other novels that do a better job when it comes to challenging stereotypical narratives about sexual assault (Tampa, Vladimir, In the Dream House etc.).

So this isn't a really a bad novel, but I didn't find it very interesting.

[Roman Clodia · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's lots of interesting material here about a famous creative writing tutor who takes advantage of the febrile and vulnerable relationship between students and mentor but the shape of the book feels baggy and as if it takes some time to find its direction. It's also hard to believe in such a villainous creation as Sofie: while it's interesting to overturn the usual gender dynamics, Sophie is just so openly manipulative as well as stupid enough the leave clear evidence of her crimes in a drawer in her office.

It feels as if the book can't decide whether it wants to be a fast-paced page turner or something more thoughtful and literary - and ends up landing, unsatisfactorily, somewhere in between. The writing could be edited more closely too: 'I finally bit into my sandwich. The cheese was rich and tangy and the ham was pleasantly synthetic, like a child's snack' - why do we have to waste our time reading about a pedestrian ham and cheese panini as if we wouldn't have any idea what this was unless the book describes it for us?

So a good central idea but I'm not sure the execution really runs with it sufficiently.

2.5 stars

[Kobe · Rating 3 out of 5]

some really interesting themes with a lot of potential - i just don't think this book really provided the power or force behind which to fully interrogate them. 3 stars!

[LX · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you for the proof!

3.25 or a 3.5??? I gotta think over my review tbh as there's lots of things going on in my head about it

[Duncan Swann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well look at that; I'm the first 5 star review for a book that currently has *checks notes* an average of 2.7! What blasphemy.

On the surface this is a book about positions of power, sexual assault and who believes who. It's set in England at a university where a prestigious author teaches a writing course that EVERYONE wants in to, and rumours circulate about the relationships this writer has with their students. Ah, but the roles are reversed! Sofie (wisdom) is the teacher and she courts students of both sexes. Our protagonist is Alice (as in, Wonderland) and she falls for a boy called Walt (as in, Whitman). However, Sofie turns her attention to Walt. This creates a memetic rivalry between them. Eventually the male falls out of favour and Alice becomes the star pupil. He attempts to expose Sofie and asks Alice to believe him...

In among all this is Sofie's first student love and later wife and then later ex-wife and then later still a sort of muse slash ruse. Her name is...Jocasta. Yes, as in Oedipus. Yes, there is a lot of memetic rivalry going on here. I won't spell it all out for fear of spoilers, but needless to say, Girard would have a field day.

However, the book is actually about the publishing industry, which even more than the field of sexual favours is rife with copying and plagiarism. Sofie is the publisher. Let's be real - no one person, especially not an author, holds any sort of sway on getting published. She comes across as a Literary God but her powers are unbelievable. She is a stand in for the gatekeepers that are publishers. The novel was first for women (Jocasta) then we brought up the white male for a time (Walt) and now the new fashion is young women as in Alice. Alice holds a job at a juice factory. She questions why anyone would buy juice, the good pulp mashed out and thrown away leaving only sweet delights that appear nutritional. A perfect metaphor for the market for books. Olena is the hard working editor, whereas Alice is the face, so to speak, of the business. And so on and so forth.

A very clever book, and therefore an outstanding debut. If you like satire and you like a well-stuck landing, this is the book for you.

[Chelsea Knowles · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.*

Bad Fiction follows Alice who is in Sofia Muller’s creative writing class. Alice alongside her friend, Walt want Sofie to guide them to become bestsellers and great writers. Sofie is a bestselling author and known for making people into better writers. There are rumours about Sofie though and the question is how they will impact Alice and her potential success.

This book has a really great beginning and I was very intrigued to read this. I enjoyed the conversations in this around female predators and the power dynamics between professors and students. I enjoyed the writing and for the most part the story was intriguing. I did kind of lose interest in this around 60% in and I just don’t think this went far enough. I did enjoy the ending but I do think this was just a little too flat. That said, this author shows a lot of promise and I can see them being successful.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

When people say in response to your work – because they will – that we don’t need fiction, I would say: we are fiction. We tell ourselves stories in order to make sense of everything we see and feel and experience. The best story we’ll ever tell is ourselves. This is okay, because it’s the only way to be. Imagine a world where our mass of experiences had no sense of order at all. Imagine only thinking things would get worse. Life would barely be worth living. But, putting aside the fact that your greatest piece of work is your own life, there is real work to be done. Keep writing,’ she said.

 
Rebecca Sarah Ley’s debut novel “Sweet Fruit, Sour Land” (published under the name Rebecca Ley), a feminist near-future dystopia, was the winner of the 2018 Guardian Not The Booker Prize.  In the live judges meeting for that – the vote was deadlocked between the two votes from the public vote (which went for another book) and two judges votes, which went for Ley’s her novel (the third judge supporting a highly experimental novel which gathered neither public of judge support). 
 
Faced with a deadlock (the two judges in favour of Ley both had different second choices – that third judge switched his vote to his own strong second choice “Sweet Fruit, Sour Land” (which he found a moving examination of grieving and its mitigation by memory and friendship) – and for the first time in the prizes history (and ironically given the post Brexit timing) the public vote was overturned by the judges.
 
That third judge – far more successful than Baroness Hale – was me!
 
So, I was delighted to see this novel – billed as the author’s literary debut (the first at least outwardly more a genre novel) to be published in February 2026.
 
Originally provisionally titled “You Made Me Feel Like This” (after a Tracey Emin artwork) “Bad Fiction” (which this novel is very much not) is a literary campus novel, set in effect (although not explicitly named) on the UEA’s famous Creative Writing course, and is narrated (in the main part) in first person by Alice – a new student on the course who has moved from her Cambridge home (and boyfriend) to the Norwich (which is named) campus. 
 
The course is taught by a male writing tutor Robert but overseen by the Head of Course Sofie Muller, a somewhat legendary major-literary-prize winning author, now in her fifties and renowned both for her unflinching  critique of her student’s works but also for her ability to use her writing guidance and industry influence to launch the careers of her favourites on the course.
 
But from the first pages we, and Alice realise something is slightly amiss: we as the book opens with a Reddit thread about female sexual harassment of males (the first of a series of threads, threaded – you can tell I did not go on a Creative Reviewing course – through the novel); Alice as their first literary event (celebrating a former pupil who, with Sofie’s backing, has just published their debut novel), is sent a little off-kilter by the appearance of another former pupil who seems baffled that Sofie does not immediately recognise him and makes odd allusions to the novel she published the year of his course.
 
On the course Alice befriends (and has something of an on-off relationship with) the rather unpredictable Walt who grew up in Singapore and whose unreliability was signalled (for me at least) by his stereotypical dislike of the (actually stunning) Norfolk countryside – my immediate dislike of Walt matching my reasons for having no interest in Noel Coward.
 
Alice works to make money at a luxury organic juice company – and befriends one of the Ukrainian ladies who worst there, whose struggle to resolve her unhappiness at her marriage but traditional religious beliefs (even if ones it has to be said which seem to have missed out the Sermon on the Mount – as she draws a distinction between sinful thought and sin) leads to a series of anecdotes which form the inspiration for Alice’s best writing.
 
Things start to blow up when Alice believes Walt is sleeping with Sofie (there are long standing rumours that she gets very close to her favourites) and even more so when he claims that Sofie has been sexually harassing him – Alice not believing him (presumably on the basis of his already demonstrated lack of appreciation of natural beauty).
 
Later at Sofie’s house – which set towards the Norfolk coast, remodelled into a modernist code and replete with a swimming lake was for me rather strikingly reminiscent of the ex-house of a real life famous female literary author (who otherwise I should stress did not seem to have any resemblance to Sofie) – we also meet Jo, her ex-wife (and herself an ex star pupil on the course) who enters as a third-party point of view character alternating her sections with Alice.

Two separate stands of accusation about Sofie start to appear – driven by anonymous online accusations and fiercely opposed by those who seem them as an inevitable attack on a successful female: one of sexual harassment, the other more connected to possible “borrowing” of the work of others – with both Jo and Alice torn both in what to believe and in how to act, not least due to the charismatic impact of Sofie.
 
All of which as things get heated does lead to this brilliant exchange about novels: “All this trouble for a few pieces of paper stuck together with glue. But then, everything boiled down to its component parts sounded redundant. What was the human heart but a few valves and some blood?”
 
And the novel takes some rather neat twists and turns while at the same time being an examination of gender/class power dynamics, the world of publishing , and the inner life of a fiction writer and hopeful novelist – the first a little reminiscent of say “Notes on a Scandal” transported to a campus and adult students, the second of “Yellowface” (albeit with considerably more constraint) and the third I think of clear interest to most fiction readers as well as writers.
 
All through the novel the student’s are writing the novels that will make up their theses – and receiving criticism and advice from Sofie and from their fellow students throughout.  Of course in a novel such as this – one which creates tension and centres conflict – lecturers and students would advise that the resolution of that conflict and the ending of the novel is key – and I have to say as a reader that Rebecca Sarah Ley really lands the ending of this one.
 
Hugely enjoyable and I would love to see this joining Sofie (and it has to be said Jo for her own one novel) in being listed for some literary prizes – perhaps starting with the Women’s Prize.
 
My thanks to Harper Collins UK for an ARC via NetGalley

He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. ‘I guess it’s possible. But I seriously doubt it. Why would anyone in her position risk that kind of reputation?’ ‘I guess.’ ‘Also, getting into bed with your students tends to be a traditionally male occupation.’ I nodded, taking a sip of my coffee. ‘So is being a bestselling novelist,’ I said.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bad Fiction by Rebecca Sarah Ley follows Alice, a graduate student navigating a rigorous creative writing class led by the exacting and often ruthless professor Sofie Muller. Known for transforming promising writers into accomplished ones—though at a steep emotional cost—Sofie sets a high bar for Alice and her classmates as they work toward publishing their novels as part of their dissertations.

The novel offers an intriguing premise, and much of the execution is compelling, especially the phenomenal ending.

What makes this book particularly striking is how it challenges conventional narratives around sexual harassment and assault. Ley flips expectations about who the aggressor can be and explores the complex dynamics of disbelief and victim treatment within these situations. Importantly, while the story includes some detailed consensual sexual scenes, descriptions of the non-consensual relationship are handled sensitively and are not graphic.

A clever narrative device is the inclusion of Reddit posts, including an Am I The Asshole? (AITA) thread, where men discuss experiences of sexual harassment by a professor. This adds a modern, relatable layer to the story.

As a work of literary fiction, Bad Fiction delivers a sharp critique of power imbalances in academia and the troubling culture of tacit approval surrounding sexual harassment and assault within these institutions.

However, the pacing is uneven. At times, the story drags with lengthy descriptions of mundane details that don’t always serve character or plot development.

I do not need to like characters in order to appreciate a book. In this book, while I didn’t find the characters particularly likable, that didn’t diminish my interest. The main issue for me was the inconsistency in momentum.
Still, I’m grateful to have read Bad Fiction.

Writers and those interested in the creative process will especially appreciate its vivid portrayal of workshop critiques and the emotional stakes of crafting a novel under intense scrutiny.

The publication date is February 26, 2026.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Simon S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really intrigued by the premise of this. Bad Fiction (UK release 25th Sept 2026) is a smart, pacy exploration of human cravings – for sex, companionship, success, fame, validation – and the self-delusion of which, knowingly or not, people can be capable when the temptations are too great.

Alice and Walt are students on a creative writing course, mentored by Sofie, a beuatiful, successful middle-aged author known for her idiosyncratic relationships with her class – shattering them with no-nonsense criticism, then boosting and coaching them closely when she senses real talent.

As rumours begin to circulate about Sofie – inappropriate relationships with students, plagiarism of their work – her class starts to ventilate their own concerns, and anonymous posts appear online.

There’s no smoke without fire, some say. Didn’t she used to be married to Jocasta, one of her students?

Is this just misogyny – a suspicion of successful women, stoked bitterly by unsuccessful men – or an attempt to dismiss #MeToo by claiming men are just as vulnerable? Is it, in itself, misogynist to suggest that women are not capable of the same venal, predatory corruption which is almost expected of their male counterparts?

Walt has something to say, but Alice can’t hear it – dazzled as she is by Sofia and the future she’s offering.

Ley slices her characters into the slow-cooker of sexual politics and power in an academic setting and lets it simmer, occasionally spitting hot.

Her prose – at times bleakly funny, always striking and graceful – is packed with insight into human weakness, expediency, and vanity. Alice is a terrific, spiky, protagonist: as vain as any of her classmates, but with an unexpected strength that carries her through the more shocking plot turns, though not without cost.

Quite compelling and not scared to surface the worst in people and examine it.

[Rachel ✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2✨
Thank you NetGalley, Rebecca Sarah Ley and HarperCollins for providing an eARC in exchange for my honest review - Bad Fiction publishes February 26th 2026.

Bad Fiction follows Alice and Walt who sign up for Sofie Muller’s prestigious creative writing class. Alice craves greatness and Sofie Muller can shape writers into stars, but at what cost?
As Alice falls deeper under Sofie’s spell, she’s forced to confront how far she's willing to go for the success she’s always wanted.

I was really excited to get into this book as the blurb sounded so intriguing. From the get go you’re instantly suspicious of Sofie’s behaviour at the bookstore. Rebecca does a great job of making you question everything written and what it really means.

However as the book went on I was left feeling frustrated with all of the characters.
I found it incredibly hard to root for any of them, even with their individual storylines, they were all frustrating and I wanted to shake them to give them a wake up call!!

How Alice let Molly continuously treat her, which had a very unsatisfying resolution was disappointing. I found Alice very unlikeable with her treatment of Walt (the audacity of her asking why didn’t you tell sooner, given her response to him?!?) and her naivety.

Jo and Sofie was one of the most frustrating elements. Although I initially was proud that Jo had left Sofie, and we hear the reasons why later in the story, it was then even more frustrating seeing the way she allowed Sofie to treat her and voluntarily put herself in so many positions she shouldn’t have been in when she had stood strong to get a divorce in the first place.

I kept reading and waiting for things to work out and it never did. No justice was given which left me really disappointed. I loved the premise of this book but it unfortunately wasn’t for me.

[Whatithinkaboutthisbook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bad Fiction by Rebecca Sarah Ley
📌 Pub Date Feb 26/26

What if the opportunity of a lifetime turned into something far more dangerous?

When Alice and Walt are accepted into an exclusive writing course led by the formidable best selling author Sophie Muller, it feels like the first step towards literary success. But under Sophie’s magnetic gaze, admiration quickly blurs into something darker.

Ley crafts a compelling exploration of charisma, power and control. Sophie is intoxicating - capable of lifting her students up with a single word of praise, then dismantling them with cold indifference. Her workshop becomes less a classroom and more a stage where approval is currency and devotion is demanded. The students orbit her, desperate to be chosen.

One of the novels most striking elements is the gender reversal. Sophie is the predator, and victims are both male and female. By broadening the dynamic, Ley makes a sharp and necessary point: harassment is not about desire - it is about power. The story dives deep into obsession and the slow erosion of identity that can happen when admiration turns into submission.

Tension simmers throughout the novel, escalating through layered twists and the shifting loyalties between characters. The characters must decide what really matters: ambition or integrity, publication or friendship, love or self preservation. The characters are flawed, unreliable and not always likeable - but their circumstances make them compelling. You will question their choices, but you won’t be able to look away.

With a superb and unsettling conclusion, this book offers a sharp, fascinating commentary on the writing and publishing industry - its gatekeepers, its power structures and the murky line between inspiration and exploitation.

[parareads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alice and Walt enrol in a creative writing class led by acclaimed writer Sophie, hoping her mentorship will launch their literary careers. What begins as admiration slowly unravels when disturbing rumours about Sophie emerge online, exposing blurred boundaries, manipulation, and abuse of power.

The 3️⃣ Things:

✨𝑨 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉 𝒗𝒔 𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.
The novel questions where storytelling ends and exploitation begins, especially when writers draw from real pain, vulnerability, and the desperate need for validation. It powerfully examines the cost of greatness and the sacrifices people make in pursuit of it.

🕸️ 𝑼𝒏𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉𝒚 𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒚𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒄𝒔 & 𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.
Alice, Walt, and Sophie’s ex-wife Jo each see Sophie differently, yet all fall under her intoxicating charm. Despite recognising her possessiveness and unsettling behaviour, they remain trapped in a cycle of admiration, control, and silence, until they find the courage to break free and expose her.

⚠️ 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒙 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒖𝒎𝒂 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆.
Alice’s failure to support Walt after he is sexually harassed by Sophie, and Jo’s role as Sophie’s emotional anchor despite being a victim herself. These moments highlight complicity, guilt, and the painful aftermath of truth coming to light.

✍🏻: @rebeccasarahley
🖨️: @boroughpress
📖: 233
🗓️: February 24, 2026
⭐: 4/5

This book left me unsettled, angry, and deeply reflective about toxic mentorship, blurred boundaries, and the hidden costs of ambition. Thank you Miss @putrifariza and @times.reads for the arc. 💛 #parareads #timesreads #badfiction #rebeccasarahley #bookstagram

[Nimrit Rajasansi · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you join Sofie Muller’s creative writing class she will make you a better writer, so of course Alice and Walt join the class for this purpose alone. Sofie has a keen eye for a writer with great potential and can harness these skills and make them award-winning, though she is known to be tough.

Alice wants Sofie’s mentorship more than anything and all the awards that go with it, however, once she becomes Sofie’s protégé she realises that there may be some darker things at play. Rumours have been swirling that Sofie’s relationships with some of her students can border on inappropriate. But is there any truth to the rumours?

We have seen other stories about inappropriate relationships with students and teachers and this one spins the gender roles on its head…which should have made this an interesting read. This is a sloooow burn of a book, even though it is small, I felt like it moved at almost a glacial pace. I wanted MORE, more speed, more drama…just MORE.

The writing itself was good, but the plot itself was just missing something for me. It felt as though the author was lost on whether this would be a page-turner or more literary and you could tell. There was a lot of fluff, information or time wasted on nothing really – this could have been a short, impactful read but it fell to the waste-side for me.

However, this is my own opinion, and others may enjoy this writing style, or I read it in the wrong mood, but this one wasn’t for me I’m afraid. Thank you to @boroughpress for sending me this proof. Bad Fiction is out 26th FEB.

Favourite Quote:

“What I mean is, it felt as though he deliberately left a gap he wanted me to fill, even if it was only about something stupid. It made me realise how often people talked without ever needing a response bigger than confirmation of their own ideas; without listening to a word from anyone else.”

[Tam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2 / 5 stars.

Ah I really wanted to love this. The premise is brilliant and I was so excited by it. Alice and Walt are students who dream of being as famous and respected as their bestselling author and tutor Sofie but there are rumours around Sofie's methods of producing great writers and how far she pushes them.

For me, I couldn't connect with the characters. I found Alice and Walt unlikeable and I just didn't care about them. I was hoping to be more gripped throughout, I found it quite slow in pace in parts and it lost my attention at points - it lacked an oomph and I felt it should have been a bit more explosive. Great premise but the story didn't quite reach it for me.

[tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

thank you to netgalley & harper fiction for the ARC – this sounded intriguing but was unfortunately not for me! i am not opposed to a premise that interrogates how women can be toxic, abusive, etc (and a campus novel is a great site for those power dynamics to play out) but ultimately this felt weirdly paced throughout, and unsatisfactorily resolved. i felt a little as if i was reading the equivalent of a straight-to-streaming series that hit all the predictable marks and seemed to be structured around big reveals, but ultimately left me underwhelmed.

[Neth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one didn't quite land for me. There were a lot of interesting social issues in this book but I feel like the plot and characters really let it down. I left it thinking, '...and so what?' which is a feeling I absolutely hate when I finish a book. Alice is such a nothing main character, things just kind of happen to her and the few decisions she does make are terrible and don't really seem to follow any kind of logic, personal or otherwise. The concept of a university lecturer abusing their power and influence over their students has been done before countless times, but usually with a man, and I was excited to see how things would unfold with a woman as the villain. But that isn't really touched upon other than a couple of throwaway lines about other women in power standing up for her.

Not going to give it one star because I did think the writing was good, and there were some lovely descriptive moments, but overall a disappointment.

[Nic · Rating 2 out of 5]

I DNF'd this book pretty quickly. I have no patience for unfocused and meandering fiction that's self-indulgent in this way. It felt like, instead of characters and a cohesive narrative, the author had come up with jokes and VERY detailed observations she liked and merely constructed scenes in which to put them.
Bad Fiction, indeed.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK / HarperFiction / The Borough Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Kaarrtini · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book indeed that explores the relationship dynamic between students and their professor. Someone that you look up to, someone that is supposed to mentor you and guide you towards your dreams exploits it for their own gain. Lots of discussion on inappropriate behavior and how things end up for the perpetrator and the victim. I enjoyed the book indeed and I am glad that I got to read an advanced copy of the book prior to its release.

[Bea Alabaster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this! Felt like a sharp, accurate portrayal of the creative cannibalism and cults of personality that can emerge in close circles like academia or writing groups. Also – thank god someone finally said it – 'addicting' is indeed not a word. I was very glad to see this fact pointed out in this book!!!

[Margaret · Rating 2 out of 5]

This very nearly qualified as a DNF, but I persevered, as I rarely completely give up.
However, I might as well have done and saved time.
Interesting to learn about working in a juice factory, but otherwise I gained nothing.Didn't empathise with any of the characters....oh well, onwards to better things!!

[Marisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wasn’t my fave, but the ending was so effective in that it seriously pissed me off. premise was interesting but am not sure if the execution was the best

[Karissa Morton Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was also my MFA program 🤐

[Ayantika · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5
Kept me hooked, some very sharp writing but left me with more questions than answers and not in a good way

[Always Reading Between The Wines · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bad Fiction by Rebecca Sarah Ley
⭐️⭐️⭐️ . 5

A fiction novel that reads as a cautionary tale of sexual politics and power, Ley's 'Bad Fiction' features unlikeable characters and difficult themes. 

It was interesting to see a female character in the role of predator- Sofie Muller has a reputation that precedes her so much that the characters of Alice and Walt think she's the only chance for them to become published authors. But Muller's not all she's made out to be.

I thought the prose was great and I love an unlikeable character. There were a lot of themes that we're seeing in everyday life at the moment, regardless of gender and this book definitely delved into things I've heard about the literary world. I loved the inclusion of narrative devices such as using Reddit threads in the writing- massive Yellowface vibes!


Similar- My Dark Vanessa
             -Yellowface
              -After The Hunt